Alpha: 2012 Chris Penfold Q&A Panel

Introduction

Warnings

• Quoted items may sometimes be mild paraphrases or compressions.
• Unquoted statements are more heavily paraphrased or compressed, but some phrases may still be as originally spoken. This includes that things that may have been said in abbreviation may have ended up written up in full (e.g. "TV" vs. "television").

Details

• Someone (the moderator, Paul Bens, I think) mentioned how he was influenced by the writing of Christopher. Chris stated that it is "gratifying to hear."
• Penfold stated that Johnny Byrne "was the science fiction writer," and stated that while they had story meetings, they "did not write the stories together."
• Someone asked, "What was the revision process like?" He responded, that the saying 'The first draft is always the best" has a "grain of truth in that," explaining that, "You can keep revising until you revise the hell out of it." He also added that, "As a writer, [you?] look for a good script editor," but it "does not always work [out] that way."
• "Dragon's Domain" was brought up, and Chris indicated that, "I wanted it to be scary" and that it was a "take on the myth of George and the Dragon."
• Asked about censorship concerns, he indicated, "The person who had to worry about the censor was Gerry Anderson."
• He was "sometimes disappointed with what I saw, sometimes very happy." (Speaking of the filmed results of his scripts?)
• He indicated there was some "meddling" within Year One. [Note: He had alluded to this in the Opening Panel as well.]
• Regarding character continuity, Christopher indicated that while it started with him [that any particular script has continuity?], but was also with Martin, Barbara, Nick.
• Question: When he left the show, did he have any stories left? He stated he had nothing specific.
• Regarding All Creatures Great and Small, he was working for the BBC at the time, and had done another about a zoo.
• Regarding Space: 1999 again, he stated, "I have found new enthusiasm for the series," in part from the efforts of Mateo Latosa and the late Johnny Byrne.
• Someone opined that "War Games" was a "pacifistic morality tale," but that it was "stuble rather than preachy." In response, Penfold invoked the famous phrase, "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."
• Penfold indicated he is agnostic. He "understands the hunger for spirituality." He also stated, "That is the area in which we boldly went" (all the religious aspects of S19).
• He stated he has a "huge sense of excitement over the latest Mars probe" (Curiosity).
• Penfold stated it was Joanna Dunham (sp?) who was the voice in the Black Sun.

Notes

• At the end, an autographed "Space Brain" script was in a flash auction, and was bought for $600.